18 December 2023 , 11:54
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Back in September, Kai Havertz's £65million move to Arsenal from London rivals Chelsea was voted as the worst signing of the summer a group of anonymous football agents.
They weren't alone in that belief, with the Germany international the subject of widespread ridicule from fans and pundits alike. After three underwhelming years at Chelsea where Havertz produced fleeting moments of brilliance but rarely anything consistently, he needed to hit the ground running at the Emirates.
Instead, he went more than 14 games without a goal before popping up with a stoppage time winner away at Brentford last month. The goal at a time when the pressure was already mounting, with plenty of people claiming Havertz at Arsenal was simply not going to work.
As mentioned, 20 agents took part in survey with The Athletic and six of them identifed Havertz as the worst signing of the 2023 summer window. "Havertz… I don’t get it, I’ve never got it," they said. "I don’t think he was needed.
"It’s the luckiest agent in the world to have done that deal and the player to have not had to move very far geographically. I would have said that before the season started. When you’re watching, you see a lack of quality and confidence. He might prove me wrong, but for that amount of money [it was a] terrible deal."
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Few could have predicted just how empahtic Havertz's turnaround would be, but the 24-year-old now has four goals in his last six appearances. His latest effort came late on in the 2-0 win over Brighton, where the ex-Chelsea ace showcased true composure to slot home and end the tie as a contest.
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Kai Havertz has four goals in his last six Arsenal goalsWith that being said, the Arsenal star still hasn't convinced everyone. Michael Owen did praise Havertz, but insisted there needs to be more to outweigh the dismal start he endured from August to October. The former Liverpool man acknowledge how the tide is turning on the German's Gunners career.
Speaking on Premier League Productions, the ex-England international explained: "Havertz has come into a little bit of form if he can continue this and grow into more of a permanent fixture and a confident player then that could, as the old saying go, be like a new signing."
"He’s been very, very poor since he’s been at the club, but all of a sudden he’s showing signs of a bit of promise."
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has been Havertz's biggest defender since his arrival in north London and the Spaniard made clear that he feels his £65m man has long been playing at this level, regardless of what critics have claimed. He added: "In terms of performances it’s exactly the same as he was at the start of the season. You can see he’s confident and enjoying his football."
From Havertz's perspective, his focus has to be on prolonging this purple patch for as long as possible. The man himself conceded his confidence has been given a boost after getting on the scoresheet in recent weeks, claiming: "Your confidence always goes high when you score and contribute.
"That’s the same with me, I’m happy and now it’s about being consistent with it, regularly week-by-week, and trying to keep that form going." That sort of self-assessment will be music to the ears of Arteta.